In the search for hydrocarbons, offshore exploration is carried out in ever increasing water depth. To drill in these new depths, new technology and modifications to existing technology are required to cope with the consequent increases in weight and pressure.

This is particularly true of subsea well control equipment, wellheads and blow-out preventions, which sit on the seabed and allow a well to be shut in or disconnected from the drill rig in the event of an emergency.

Geoprober is developing a deepwater exploration drilling system to be deployed from a monohull vessel. The system is essentially based on a novel method of establishing the well with the conductor, the casing hanger, wellhead and BOP run in one trip, using casing drilling technology and it is the combined casing hanger/wellhead/BOP or Geoprober Shut-off System (Geo-SOS) which is at the heart of the system.

The purpose of the Geoprober Drilling System (GDS) is to reduce the cost of acquiring G&G data for exploration activity in deep water by 50% by establishing a well in a one trip operation. This speeds up operations, improves data acquisition options and reduces the environmental impact of exploration.

Geoprober is a slim well design with the reduced weight of the Geoprober Subsea Shut-off System (Geo-SOS). The comparison below shows a large reduction in the casing, volume of mud, cement and fuel consumption.

This not only provides economic benefits but also a much lower environmental impact . The simplified well design also reduces the well planning lead time.

By drilling in the first surface casing, cementing it in place and converting it to a riser huge time savings are possible compared with a conventional deepwater rig operation.

The purpose designed handling system means that coiled tubing drilling can be rigged up very rapidly and spooled into the well, reducing trip times through the water.